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“We have five cruise liners booked for next year (2018), and one tentatively booked for 2020,” said Amanda Lumley, executive director of Destination Plymouth.

“They can all use the existing berth at Millbay ferry port.

“It’s suitable to take ships of up to 210m – that’s about 40 per cent of the market.”

Talks... Mayflower 400 board member Mervyn Orchard in discussion with business leaders at the summit (Image: Penny Cross)

She said Destination Plymouth had been stressing to cruise ship firms that Plymouth can welcome their vessels.

“And there’s a lot of interest,” she said.

Mrs Lumley, speaking at the start of an all-day tourism industry symposium, at the Duke of Cornwall Hotel, said Millbay’s dock could accommodate a range of ships holding 300 to 400 passengers, and even up to 700.

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But she added: “The really big ones hold thousands, but we have the challenge that most of them can’t berth, but don’t all want to come to Plymouth anyway.

“So we don’t need a terminal straight away but the more demand we can develop the more we can show we could have some expansion.”

Tourism chiefs... at the Plymouth Tourism and Visitor Economy Conference held at the Duke of Cornwall Hotel (Image: Penny Cross)

Mrs Lumley was among several key speakers at the Plymouth Tourism and Visitor Economy Conference 2017.

Adrian Vinken, chairman of Destination Plymouth, confirmed that US tour parties and cruise ships were already booked for 2018 and said: “Already there is a lot of interest in the American marketplace and our policy is to make the maximum benefit from that opportunity,” he said.

He said 80 per cent of the “cruise business” can already access Plymouth without need for a new cruise ship berth.

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Charles Hackett, chief executive of Mayflower 400, confirmed: “Americans are coming here. It will be small numbers at first but will build up.”

He said tour operators are including Plymouth on Mayflower excursions with take in up to 11 Mayflower connected destinations, including Leiden in the Netherlands.

Warm welcome... City College Plymouth students greeted delegates at the tourism conference (Image: Penny Cross)

“We have done the market research and there are a large number of US residents interested and keen and will start coming here," he said.

“And the experience they have will encourage other people.”

Denis Wormwell, chairman of Visit England, was a keynote speaker at the conference and said Plymouth had a key role to play in making the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower’s voyage of discovery a major success for the UK.

“Mayflower 400 is of massive importance to the UK,” he said. “With Plymouth Hoe and the Barbican, where the Pilgrims set off, we have public space to celebrate.”